Chocó

Chocó, Colombia: The people of Colombia were once persecuted under the guise of combating “communism” and now it’s the “war on drugs and terrorism.” Esperanza en Dios is the name of this community, located in the jungles of Colombia, in the Darien region bordering Panama. For years it has been violently and relentlessly persecuted by Colombian security forces.
The Darien region has some of greatest biodiversity of plant and animal life in the world and corporations are literally killing to get their hands on it. This community was forced to flee several years ago after nearly 100 members were massacred by a joint military and paramilitary operation. Though threatened with annihilation, hundreds of community members returned to the region to reclaim their land and way of life. They use sustainable farming techniques, and recycle their sewage; they believe it is their duty to protect the biodiversity from being exploited and possibly obliterated.
Despite the daily threats and intimidation campaigns by the government, they continue to nonviolently resist displacement and deforestation. As one indigenous leader stated: “They are not only killing us, but they are killing themselves by destroying the ‘lungs’ of the world.”
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